Poole: Charles Woodson and Dennis Allen are Oakland Raiders' keys

By Monte Poole Bay Area News Group

Posted:
09/05/2013 11:58:14 AM PDT

Updated:
09/05/2013 09:30:03 PM PDT

ALAMEDA -- For all the anguish over who will start at quarterback and whether the Raiders will hit the opposing passer, the fate of their season more likely will be dictated by two men at opposite points in their careers.

If Dennis Allen and Charles Woodson are marvelous, the Raiders can shock the world.

If they are satisfactory or less, the Raiders can spend the second half of the season chaperoning collegiate sensation Jadeveon Clowney and preparing for the 2014 draft.

Allen and Woodson enter 2013 with more reputation on the line than anyone else on the payroll, including general manager Reggie McKenzie, who is a close third.

Allen is a first-time head coach facing maybe his last opportunity to prove his worth in Oakland. If he's not superb, and odds are against him, his second season here could be his final -- as well as his only chance to lead an NFL team.

DA must show vast improvement over his rookie season, displaying more dexterity and conviction than he did at any time in 2012.

Woodson is a longtime NFL star seeking success to illustrate his impact and punctuate his final argument to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Losing would mean an anticlimactic reunion with the Raiders, with him fading out again and likely retiring.

C-Wood has to be a difference-maker. He has to steal from the book of Ray Lewis and use dedication, zeal and performance -- but no sermons -- to inspire eager teammates with much to prove in the NFL.

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Allen and Woodson know and accept their desperate need for each other. They also realize, if not accept, that their path to success is so rugged and steep that most folks are predicting failure.

"Everybody is piling on us right now," Woodson said. "I read something (this week) where we were picked dead last in the power rankings.

"We can either prove them wrong or prove them right."

When I asked Allen if the widespread dismissal of his team is unfair or uneducated or irrelevant, he made it apparent there is no time to ponder such matters.

"All I can concern myself with is the 53 guys on that roster and the coaches that I have on this staff doing everything we can to get ready to play a football game," he said. "We don't have time for anything else.

"The expectations on what we are as a football team will be defined inside this building. That's the only way you can look at it."

The expectations will come from owner Mark Davis, who in 2012 sought nothing more than incremental progress -- which, to Allen's credit, made a brief late-season appearance.

They'll come from McKenzie, who believes he is building a roster that can grow into a contender. The G.M. may not anticipate 10-6, but he expects progress.

And there are the expectations of a weary fan base running out of ways to defend a franchise that since its last Super Bowl appearance, in January 2003, has been one of the least successful in American sports. Another dip and they'll want blood.

A 6-10 record would be mathematical improvement (they were 4-12 last season) and anything more than that would constitute rousing success indicative of a potential turnaround.

Allen, for what it's worth, is buying into this team. At least he says he is. Never mind the quarterback quandary, the lack of a clear No. 1 receiver, the makeshift offensive line and candles lit to bless the health of running back Darren McFadden -- as well as the absence of a proven pass rusher, unheralded linebackers and a thin roster overall.

"I still like the demeanor of this team," Allen said. "I still like that attitude of this team. Now we still have to go out and there and play."

That's why the coach needs Woodson to be a force. This team's hopes will depend largely on whether it can play effective defense, keep games close and force mistakes.

Woodson senses mutual evaluation between coaches and players, that training camp and preseason were inconclusive. Yet the season is upon us. Not knowing who can coach and who can play accounts for the dire prognostications.

"It's going to be up to us," Woodson said. "Either we can endure that stuff the whole year, or we can do something about it. Show people that we do have some talent. And I believe we have talent."

They have some talent, but not a lot. That's why Woodson and Allen are so crucial. They are the pillars. If they're strong, the Raiders can stand up. If not, well, it really won't matter who lines up at quarterback.